Making social media work for your business is a lot like throwing a great party.
You know who you have to invite in order to guarantee a great turnout. You know if you invite Hank and Sarah, others will want to come too. Everybody wants to be where Hank and Sarah are.
On social media platforms, these “life of the party” friends are called influencers.
Identify the Hanks and Sarahs. Start talking and interacting with them. Create value for their time and interest.
Once they start coming to your parties, others are sure to follow.Subscribe to Biz Crusader by Email

I just received a Groupon email letting me know that I could subscribe to Vogue for $8. If I took advantage of this offer, I would receive in the mail 12 beautiful, full color issues of Vogue for just $8. After Groupon takes their 50%, Vogue gets $4.

A few months back, I visited the web site of a notable advertising industry publication. To subscribe, I would have to pay over $50 a year. I passed. Instead, I just decided to opt in to their email newsletter. About a week ago, I started to receive the physical copy of the publication in the mail for free. I didn’t pay a cent but they decided to start mailing them to me.

The magazine publishers are up against the wall. The above scenarios are two small examples of a desperate industry. If their content is so valuable, why I am I receiving them for free or practically for free? Not only did I get it for free, I am receiving them at their cost.

The answer is simple.

It is more valuable for them to tout a larger subscriber base than to actually care about what their publications are being bought for. It all funnels down to how many subscribers they can tout or claim to their potential advertisers.

This is not a new occurrence. It has been happening for years but true desperation is rearing its ugly head for the first time.

Ladies and gentlemen. PRINT IS DYING.

Don’t advertise in it. Don’t pay for it. Don’t invest in it.

If you are a magazine publisher, place ALL your resources towards digitization. Accept reality. Do you really believe that my 5 year old boy will buy a magazine for entertainment and information when he turns 18?

This commercial has yet to run during the Super Bowl but it has already garnered just under 10 million views on YouTube. In addition, it has been written about in countless media outlets. Is 3 million dollars worth it for a well produced Super Bowl commercial? I say YES!

What do you do? By looking at your logo, slogan, business card and your web site; I don’t have a clue.

Sure, I could spend more of my valuable time and engage my short Internet-driven attention span to dig further and ask more questions. I just don’t feel like doing that today because there are others just like you within a mouse-click away.

You’re not a brand I recognize like Coca Cola, Microsoft or Toyota. Oh yeah… you probably didn’t spend the millions they’ve spent to make sure I recognize their brand.

I have never heard of you but for some reason I have come across your business.

Why build a blank billboard? Why be subtle? Tell me what you do and tell me fast!